For Immediate Release
September 4, 2024
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO) request the public’s help to solve the 30-year-old Laralee Spear cold case.
At the request of Volusia Sheriff’s Office, FDLE is joining in the investigation to review investigative and evidentiary leads that can help solve Spear’s murder. VSO Sheriff Mike Chitwood recently increased the reward to $100,000 for information leading to an arrest.
FDLE Orlando Special Agent in Charge Felipe Williams said, “This case has been unsolved for too long. Partnering with VSO allows us to combine resources and expertise, giving us new perspectives and allows us to use modern investigative strategies. Our goal is to generate new leads and solve this case once and for all.”
“We want to let Laralee Spear know she is not forgotten. It is time to tell the truth and bring Laralee peace and closure for her family. We believe someone out there knows something that could help in this investigation. So, we ask, if you know anything, please let us know. Everybody wants to see this case closed,” said VSO Sheriff Chitwood.
Spear was abducted and brutally murdered only a quarter mile from her home on April 25, 1994, just one month shy of her 16th birthday. She was reported missing by her mother when she did not arrive home after school. She was last seen getting off her school bus. Her body was found that same afternoon near a burned down house a few yards away from her home on Deerfoot Road. Detectives determined that Laralee was killed within minutes of getting off the school bus.
More information about the case can be found on FDLE’s Unsolved Cases in Florida website at
https://web.fdle.state.fl.us/unsolvedcases/public/home.jsf
If you have information about the murder of Laralee Spear, please call Volusia Sheriff’s Office major case unit at 386-254-1537 or send an email to ColdCaseUnitTips@volusiasheriff.gov.
For Further Information Contact:
FDLE Office of Public Information
(850) 410-7001